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House of Representatives                                Ch 5                                                 p 131

Parliamentary

The national Parliament is the forum for debating legislation and discussing and publicising matters of national and international importance. The role played by the Member in the House is the one with which the general observer is most familiar. In the Chamber (or in the additional forum provided by the Main Committee) Members participate in public debate of legislation and government policy. They also have opportunities to elicit information from the Government, and to raise matters of their own concern for discussion. It is this role which probably attracts the most publicity but, at the same time, it is the one which is probably least demanding of a Member’s time.

Since the late 1960s the House of Representatives has sought to strengthen its ability to scrutinise the actions and policies of government, mainly through the creation of committees. ¹ This has placed considerable demands on the time of the private Member, as committee meetings are held during both sitting and non-sitting periods and committees may hold hearings in many places throughout Australia. In order to make a substantive contribution to the work of a committee, a Member needs to invest a considerable amount of time in becoming familiar with the subject-matter of the inquiry. Committees are given wide powers of investigation and study, and their reports testify to the thoroughness of their work. They are valuable vehicles for acquiring and disseminating information and supplement the normal parliamentary role of a private Member considerably.

The volume of legislation and the increasing breadth and complexity of government activity in recent times have required the typical private Member to narrow his or her range of interest and activity, and to specialise in areas which are of particular concern.

See also Ch. on ‘Parliamentary committees’.